If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Jill Trenary: Week 1 Off-Season Flashback

**************************
I thought I'd do a revival of some of the fun threads we tried to start up back when the "Join in the Fun at MKF!" was started.

As part of the off-season, I will try to do a weekly thread that will flashback on some of the well-known skaters over the years. Hopefully, they will be fun and educational

****************

To start off week 1, I thought we'd take a look back on the career of 3-time National Champion, and World Champion, Jill Trenary.

Click here to read Jill Trenary's Biography on Wikipedia

Jill made her first big skating news when she won the 1987 National Championships, and unseated Debi Thomas, the favorite, with a strong freeskate. If you recall, Debi was slated to win her second US title, but had trouble in the free-skate, and finished in 2nd place.

Jill was a strong *figures* skater, and placed well at many of the international events she entered. In 1990, for example, Jill's strong performance in figures was a major factor in helping her win her first, and only, World title (Midori Ito won the SP and LP that year, but placed 10th in figures, giving Jill room to somewhat comfortably win the title).

In addition to performing strong in the figures phase of various competitions, Jill was also known for her trademark move, a one-foot axel into a triple salchow.

**For those of you that don't know, a one-foot axel is where a skater takes off and lands on the same foot (i.e take off from my left foot and land on my left foot). In an regular axel jump, a skater takes off and lands on different feet**

Jill's only Olympic appearance was at the 1988 games, and she finished in 4th place overall. She decided to stay amateur, and work towards the 1992 Olympics, but an ankle injury sidelined her efforts. As a result, she missed the 1991 US and World Championships, and was intent on making her comeback during the 1991-1992 season.

At the beginning of the 1991-1992 season, Jill made a brief comeback skating at Skate Canada, but she finished a disappointing 4th place.

In December 1991, Jill emotionally announced her retirement from amateur skating. The combination of the slowly healing ankle injury, the increased demand on technical elements, and the elimination of compulsory figures (Jill's strength) all played a part in Jill's retirement from competition.

Jill returned to competitive skating, making her debut at the 1992 World Professional Championships. She was considered a co-favorite for winning the event (along with Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi), but mistakes in her technical merit (including a fall on the triple flip) pushed her out of contention, and she finished in 4th place.

After a few pro competitions in 1992, Jill left the competitive scene and wasn't seen again until the 1996 season when she made an appearance at the Ice Wars competition (she skated well).

Jill also did some touring with Stars on Ice, and hasn't really been seen since 1997.